Archive for November, 2017

Dates are given in the old style Julian calendar used in Russia at the time. This was 13 days earlier than the Gregorian calendar (adopted in Russia in 1918). The world’s first workers’ state had been set up on 25/26 October, when workers and soldiers led by the Bolshevik Party took power – ratified by […]

The takeover of power by the Zimbabwe defence force is a military coup in all but name. It represents a turning point in post-independence Zimbabwe and the almost certain end of Mugabe’s reign. The military take-over was precipitated by the dismissal of Mugabe’s most loyal henchman for the past thirty seven years, Emmerson Mnangagwa. […]

The 19th Congress of the CCP, held in October, adopted the party leader’s doctrine of iron dictatorship. China’s “great power” status is enshrined in the party constitution but stable government is still by no means guaranteed. The 19th Congress of China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) held in October, which confirmed China’s transition to one-man dictatorship […]

Ontario College Faculty, 5 weeks on strike, reject employers’ offer – Liberal Government brings in back to work legislation Over 12,000 full-time professors, partial-load instructors, counsellors and librarians, from 24 colleges across the province, had been on strike for a record 33 days when, on November 17, Kathleen Wynne’s government introduced back to work legislation. […]

The October socialist Revolution in Russia was met with enthusiasm from workers and the oppressed around the world. Not least in neighbouring Finland which was under Russian control since 1809. It was a large principality of the Tsarist Empire, an empire which the Bolsheviks referred to as the “prison of nations”. One week after the […]

Struggle until victory, for a workers’ Republic of Catalonia On Saturday 11 November, a massive mobilisation or over 1 million people lined over 3.3 kilometres of Marina avenue in Barcelona, demanding the freedom of political prisoners. This show of strength is a qualitative change in the struggle against repression and the PP government. The […]

Thousands of people gathered around the country this morning to watch the ABS chief statistician announce the results of the Australian marriage law postal survey. There was a huge turnout with 79.5% of eligible participants returning their surveys. Of those, 61.6% voted ‘yes’, in favour of marriage equality! That is 7,817,247 people in support of […]

On November 7, the Ginger Jentzen campaign won a historic vote in the race for Minneapolis City Council, Ward 3. The initial six point lead on election night was fitting for our powerful campaign which had defined the issues in this year’s city elections from the start. We put a discussion about rent control back […]

With monotonous predictability the centenary of the Russian revolution has led to an outpouring of bile – not aimed in the main at the ‘acceptable’ February revolution – but at October. A cacophony of slander is attempting to drown out the real history of the October revolution. This is no accident. Worldwide the capitalists are […]

This is the eighth in our series on the events of 1917. Dates are given in the old style Julian calendar used in Russia at the time. This was 13 days earlier than the Gregorian calendar (adopted in Russia in 1918). The working class and poor are on starvation rations. Grain prices rocket, provoking food […]